


Ignite the fire of a thousand suns

by TheOrangeAurora



Series: Universe travellers AU [1]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: AU, M/M, Outer Space, Slight adult themes, a fling of a sort, but only briefly, mentions of vomit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2019-01-07 16:17:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12236331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOrangeAurora/pseuds/TheOrangeAurora
Summary: A transition point in the universe, it became one for his existence too. Dan, a traveller of the universe, is forced to head back to where he came from, but perhaps the forces somewhere beyond had a plan for him that he had never expected.





	Ignite the fire of a thousand suns

**Author's Note:**

> This is a random fic that came to me very randomly last night and I am super happy to share it with you all! :) I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it <3

When he entered the spaceport, he was clutching his worn-down backpack tightly to his chest as if his life depended on it, and, to an extent, it did - his whole livelihood of the past year had consisted of the contents of the backpack, with an occasional change when his trousers had finally worn out and the weather of different planets didn't agree with his chosen wardrobe. From the wet grasslands of Thasotis, to the icy mountains of Skiea NC9, all the way to the deserts of the Ebrosie, they all had roughened him around the edges, the Adrailian boy who had always lived a comfortable life until he had decided to leave it all behind one sunny morning of the season of two suns. 

“Name, destination,” The robotic voice of the android made him jump, but he smiled down at the black and white glossy piece of mechanics and lowered his backpack, digging out the single piece of documentation that he carried with him, and placed it under the scanner.

“Adrailia,” He added when he saw the lasers of the scan piercingly reflect in green against the shiny material of the ID, his picture on it a vague resemblance of who he was now. 

“Welcome Daniel Howell of planet Adrailia,” Once the scan concluded, Dan pocketed the ID and looked up where the same kind of scan was now mapping his whole body, scanning his appearance and gathering the appropriate biodata. He knew that he was supposed to be used to it by now, he'd gone through this process on nearly weekly basis, and the transition spaceport between Earth 2.0 and Adrailia was actually pretty pleasant. And yet there was always something a little unsettling when the light caressed his skin without any physicality, seeing right through him in a manner that made him feel transparent.

His worn shoes squeaked against the polished ebony-coloured floor, and his stomach rumbled impatiently as he waded through the long hallways until he came up to the door labeled D519. One glance at the door was enough for it to open, the biometric data used to instantly recognise him. The high technology life, one that Dan had been spending so much time around back in the days, was now all too artificial after long nights spent in the most random locations around the universe.

He felt a shiver run down his back now that he was faced with it once more, too close to the old life to ignore it.

His currencies were running low, as he checked the numbers visible only to him as they riddled his arm after several complex unlocks in his device, and he furrowed his brows at that. Only another week and he would be back where he had come from, but a new man completely.

Three years ago he had began studying galactic law, two - he had hit the peak of stress that lead to eventual dropping out, one - he had decided to leave it all behind, despite the protests of his mother and father, both of whom had put high hopes into the fact that Dan would be following their career path, now probably shifted to Dan's brother. Now he was only a week away from returning to that previous life, prompted merely by the lack of funds, for he didn't know enough of the universal languages to settle, and to settle felt like a commitment that Dan wasn't ready for yet.

So he tried to ignore it; he had his ticket back, it was his last chance to fully enjoy himself.

When he sat at the nearest table at the food court, he felt eyes on himself, and when he looked up, all he saw was another man, staring down far too keenly at the device in his hands. And what a curious man he was; his hair black, skin pale, limbs long and thin, and clothes a mismatch of bright colours and patterns. When Dan let his eyes wander, he noticed the odd retro looking choice of a coat on the chair besides the stranger too, it's silvery shine making Dan think of those clothes that he had seen in the olden day movies from the original Earth that his mum used to watch a lot when Dan was little.

When he looked up, the stranger was looking at him again and his eyes were a bright, but incredibly warm blue, too, and his lips were a smile that reached every little inch of his face, crinkling the skin around those blue depths. And though he looked a little nervous, this time he didn't look away when caught staring.

Dan hadn't thought much of being stared at; it happened a lot to him, being that humans as species were still quite uncommon around certain places of many galaxies. But never had it been another human who would be so keen at observing him like that.

“Would you like to order?” The holographic screen in front of him flickered and Dan blinked at the stranger before looking away and at the white on blue screen. He paused, the list of food items translating to English before his eyes, but once they had finished, he shook his head.

“Can I send a message to another table first?”

“Certainly. Please select the table and compose the message,” A map laying out the tables appeared and Dan hesitated for a moment before carefully tapping into the nothingness of the screen, selecting the stranger's table. 

//'I don't see humans around much. I guess you're the same. Meet you at the East Wing terrace after meal?'// And before he could stop himself, he sent the message off, the digits on his arm dropping by a few numerals. As soon as the screen read 'Sent', Dan looked at the stranger, trying hard not to be too obvious as he watched it pop up in front of the stranger, and the way the other man jumped, the way his cheeks were suddenly not as pale anymore when he read the message and how those blue eyes were once again on Dan. When Dan finally raised his gaze, he was met with a wide smile and enthusiastic nod.

He tried not to think of it too much when his food arrived.

===

“Whereabouts do you come from?” Dan questioned curiously once he spotted the same cacophony of colours standing near the miniature garden created on the terrace, too distracted by staring up at the dusk skies where stars were popping up one by one, breaking through the brightness of the three suns diligently. 

“Isn't the custom to exchange names first?” The stranger beamed at him, though his fingers were busy fidgeting with the corner of the same silvery coat. One look and it seemed like it was far too warm for Earth 2.0, and the curiosity was getting the best of him.

“It is, but it's so warm here, yet you're bundled up like it's the middle of the Skiea NC9's winter,” Dan humoured, motioning at the shortness of the relatively tightly-fitting shirt he was wearing, the material clearly simple and not thermal, “Curiosity is getting the best of me.”

“Dromia N442 doesn't really get winters, it's too close to our sun for the waters to ever freeze unless you place them into a freezer,” The stranger humoured back and as if to case the point, stuck his hands in his pockets almost like his long digits were feeling cold. 

It took a moment for Dan, to rake his brain, and to pinpoint which planet the stranger was from, but once he did he knew already - the two of them were never going to meet again, for it was galaxies away, in the opposite direction from where Dan was headed. There was nothing Dan had to commit to in this exchange, and it made him feel a certain kind of peace, similar to that he felt every time his way parted him from all of those he'd come to meet during the trip.

“Dan,” He said simply, not caring to elaborate where he was headed and it seemed that it didn't matter to stranger too much, because he never asked.

“Phil,” Instead the stranger gave Dan his name and the two exchanged a silent look before they both looked up at the sky, where the yellows had turned dark, the purples and blues painting the world colder and so much more peaceful.

It seemed like both of them looked only for the now, not bothering about the pasts and the futures.

“They have a reality arcade upstairs,” Phil suggested and though Dan knew that it would lose him a potential fifty grams of a meal in the next day, he found himself nodding.

“Sounds like a plan.”

===

He felt the sweat soaking his shirt when they walked out of the arcade, both of their faces nearly splitting with smiles, and both of their currencies considerably lower.

“How many languages do you speak then? There's no way we could have figured out the clues without you,” Dan spoke, gesticulating excitedly as he spoke, and his dark eyes shone brightly when looking at Phil who was instead looking at the ground, his face very pink and hands still fiddling with the hem of the coat that he kept insisting to wear as soon as they had gotten out of the game. 

“I did study intergalactic linguistics,” He tried to downplay it as if it was nothing only to cause Dan to bump into his shoulder with his own.

“Come on, how many speak Thesallarian these days?” Dan leaned in again, their arms nearly brushing and when they did, neither of them drew away, only the unevenness of tired walking causing them to part for a moment before bumping again.

“I've dabbled in just twenty, but I only know maybe ten,” When Dan nudged his arm lightly again, Phil finally admitted and for all it was worth, Dan thought he could spy the blush deepening on the man's cheeks. 

Dan's eyes were wide though, as he looked at the other man with unmasked admiration; he'd never been good enough to fully pick up more than two languages, and only because on Adrailia both were official, as the most used ones, so to hear Phil making it sound like ten was a small amount was ridiculous.

“That's bloody amazing!” Dan exclaimed only to cause Phil look at him confused for a couple of seconds before he laughed, head thrown back in a way that exposed his neck and Dan's eyes were drawn to the arch of his throat, the Adam's apple dotted with the little dark hair, diligently trying to mark the territories where they grew most.

“You sound like you're from Hoag's Object,” Phil commented with ease as if he knew more about Dan than what Dan had disclosed. 

When the blue eyes looked at him again, Dan truly believed that the other man did.

Somehow it made him want to lean in close and kiss the knowledge away.

===

“Good morning,” Phil spoke, but it sounded more like a grumble, when the man joined Dan at the table with a mug of dark liquid. Dan eyed it curiously, his own mug filled with the fluorescent green that was the local tea. To Dan whatever Phil was consuming looked like the muddy waters of Atrion. When the scent wafted towards him, however, he was proven wrong, the bitterness somehow the most pleasant thing Dan had ever smelt. 

“You look like you're not having too brilliant of a morning,” Dan commented while taking a sip, feeling the citrusy freshness on the tip of his tongue; he'd not had anything like it for months, and it was equally familiar and bittersweet when the taste reminded him of home. 

“Never before my morning coffee,” Phil grumbled again, rubbing at his eyes behind the dark-rimmed glasses as he yawned without much dignity and Dan found himself entertained wondering how far the jaws could open before they would accidentally lock. 

They sat in silence, enjoying their respective drinks and exchanging occasional glances, like if both wanted to talk about something but weren't sure where to begin. It was then that Dan became more aware that they were still absolute strangers. He knew where Phil was from, what he'd studied, and that he liked games just as much as Dan did. They could talk easily, but it was always something that came up in the context, now completely lost to the morning daze. 

“So,” Dan began and then promptly proceeded to dribble some of his tea down his chin and onto his shirt when Phil jumped up to his feet.

“I completely forgot I signed up for training today,” Phil gave Dan an apologetic smile as the latter wiped the tea away with the back of his wrist which was covered with a multitude of wristbands of numerous origins. “It's day three for me here,” He quickly explained when Dan eyed him quizzically, for no preparations happened before day three in any spaceport. Though advanced, the technology was still rather slow, and in addition to long waits for their trips, the timetable for the training and medical checkups was still one of those made long before Dan or his parents had even existed. 

Another silent glance was exchanged between them, and Dan wanted to ask Phil to find a reason to delay, but he never did.

He was left watching Phil's back as the other man rushed down the hallway and disappeared around the corner with one last glance back at Dan before turning.

===

“Weightlessness?” Dan asked sympathetically when he spotted Phil walking down the hallway that Dan had just turned to, patting at his hair that was sticking every direction in a messy manner; the clear indication of the powerful drying machines that they used after the underwater training. 

Though he had looked quite unhappy, Phil's face lit up when he looked up at Dan, and his fingers became more keen trying to smoothen out the mess on his head. “I don't get it. It clearly states in my ID that I've travelled a good handful of times, you would think that would be enough of a reason for them to believe that I can handle the weightlessness in the space,” Phil complained, then paused in a way that made Dan cock his head a little to motion for Phil to continue, “I guess they still don't believe me after the one time I actually got sick.”

To that Dan made a face; he'd seen that happen once. It wasn't a pleasant sight, nor it was easy to clean, when everything was left in microgravity. 

Phil, seeing Dan's face, brought his hands up defensively, “I used to be unable to stay on a Dromian camel's back, so I've improved a lot. I'm sure it was just the food I had before, it tasted funny--”

He was cut off when Dan placed his hand over Phil's mouth.

“Just… Stop before you make it any grosser.” But when Dan laughed, it was clear that Phil relaxed too.

===

Phil yawned and Dan stopped in explaining why he found the red broccoli better than the orange one when it came to the Laretian cuisine, a conversation they had ended up getting into after Phil had discovered that Dan didn't really like the taste of the Laretian spices, apparently commonly used in Dromian foods. 

“You should go to sleep,” Dan suggested, watching the way Phil's eyelashes were fluttering tiredly.

“No, I'm fine,” Phil tried to fight back, and brought a hand up to rub at his face, awkwardly pushing the glasses to the side for a moment before they fell back into place, only to accent Phil's tiredness even more. “Just a little tired.”

“Come on, let's get you to your room,” Dan, amusement lining his words, flicked at the screen in front of them, feeling as the currencies melted away on his arm once more when he paid for their meals even though Phil had made it clear that he wanted to pay at least for his own earlier. It was additional hundred grams from Dan's meal, but he didn't mind. He hadn't had the pleasure to treat someone as keenly for a while.

“Mm,” Phil hummed sleepily when Dan rose to his feet and touched his shoulder as an indication to get up too. “P87,” He murmured and it didn't take long to understand that it was the room number.

Dan's hand resting against the small of Phil's back, they waded the corridors, nicely decorated in their wooden tones. Their steps echoed all around them, Phil's more of a shuffle and Dan's more of a squeak. Otherwise it was silence that surrounded them and only the occasional traveler and staff could be seen scuttling by throughout the many floors. 

“Get some rest, I'll see you tomorrow,” Dan said when they came up to the right door and Phil looked up tiredly, just enough so the door would open for him. He didn't walk inside though, and through weary eyes he instead looked at Dan who stood there, bound by that blue-eyed gaze.

Finally, Dan shifted, lips forming words of good night, when Phil moved too.

It was odd, to be enveloped in another person's arms like that, a chin perched on his shoulder, a chest of another pressed against his, the scent of coffee, spices and a hint of chlorine invading his nose. He'd not hugged for a long time, it had never been a custom in his world, and he never initiated them therefore nobody had really stepped forward like this to embrace him in such manner.

Yet here he was, and Phil's arms were wound around his torso. And he was warm, so warm, despite always seeming cold.

Dan placed his palms lightly against Phil's back for a brief moment and relaxed in the hold. It felt like a forever until the other man pulled away. 

“Good night, Dan,” Phil murmured softly.

===

“You're extremely curly today,” Phil seemed amused when it was now Dan trying to pat at his head, to tame the unruly curls that were too long anyways, since he'd stopped cutting it some weeks ago to save his currencies. And he had had to trade the little trimming machine for a kit to fix his backpack, too. 

“I look like one of those strange moth ball pets from G32 in Andromeda,” Dan muttered to himself, and drew his digits through the curls once more knowing well that it wouldn't change anything. 

“If it makes it any better, you look more adorable than them, at least,” Phil quickly added under his breath before bringing the cup of his strange drink, coffee, to his lips. He'd clearly taken to sleeping in while Dan had been made to take part in preparations early on in the day.

Dan just shifted, looking down at the small screen he'd conjured up from his portable device with all the information that they had sent analysing his performance at the simulation. He'd never been the one for compliments, never knew how to take them aside from making a joke out of them, but this time he really didn't want to. 

“Let's go to the beach area today,” He suggested instead and it was like Phil was a sun himself, with the way how brightly he seemed to beam whenever he was truly excited.

===

“How aren't you dying from heat yet?” Dan asked while covering his head with a towel, his skin as if ablaze with the warmth of the artificial sun that had finally forced him out of his shirt as they lounged in the area of fake sand, and the simulated ocean that was more of a large pond in reality. Phil had stripped his coat, but he seemed utterly unaffected by the heat that radiated at them. For all Dan knew, it looked like he was enjoying it while Dan was regretting the impulsive decision to spend away more of his remaining currencies to enjoy this moment.

But perhaps it was worth paying if he got to see Phil so relaxed. It seemed contagious, the way Phil felt, and it poured into Dan's bones, diluted the agitated feelings and settled in his core calmly.

Or perhaps he was simply overheating.

“I come from a place which is always bathed in high temperatures, this is like the mild season for me,” Phil laughed and Dan couldn't help but to shake his head though his lips were a happy bow. 

It was easy to forget how different they really were.

===

“And then this one decides to use his tentacle arms to try and pickpocket me in the broad daylight, right? So I have to slap him away and threaten him that I have salt in my wallet that will dissolve him if he tries.” Dan grumbled, telling his story with his arms flailing so much that Phil took to shielding his drink from being accidentally spilled. 

It had been a reluctant start, Dan surveying the menu when the two had eventually wandered as far as the only bar at the whole spaceport, picking the cheapest drink that he had nursed a little too long until Phil had paid for the second round, despite Dan's protests. From there on, Dan had allowed himself to be a bit more adventurous, and soon enough he didn't feel the currencies anymore.

He just wasn't sure if it because he really couldn't feel them or refused to.

Phil laughed, “I'm honestly surprised how you've survived this whole trip,” He took a sip of a multicoloured drink that Dan had earlier compared to Phil himself when he'd seen it in the menu, so Phil had taken to ordering it.

“Says the man who tripped on the edge of a bloody volcano,” Dan pouted a little only to laugh when Phil looked away, embarrassed, and swatted in Dan's general direction.

“Look, it was one time and it was simulation, I wasn't going to die,” Phil defended himself but Dan just ignored that and took another gulp of his drink and leaned back in his seat.

“The medical will be fun tomorrow,” Dan laughed to himself, his mind trailing down many different paths and suddenly he noted that the time spelled out the beginning of the fourth day that Dan had spent here, and it was fifth for Phil.

In two days this would all become a past.

It filled Dan with bitterness stronger than the alcohol.

===

They were staggering through the hallways, Dan's arm around Phil's waist while Phil's rested around Dan's shoulders. The two bodies were leaning into each other heavily, and their voices were joyous in their drunk sleepiness. 

“Careful, careful, the threshold,” Dan pointed out just in time for Phil's foot to get caught and the only reason why the man didn't fall was the tight grip on Dan. 

They laughed, stopping for a moment to catch their breaths before they could continue onwards.

There was nobody else in the hallways anymore, most people asleep, not too many keen on drinking in between the tedious preparations and not wanting to risk an ill feeling on the liftoff itself.

It was only them, and as they stopped in front of Phil's room door, it took a while until they untangled from each other, Phil's fingers releasing their hold on Dan's shirt and Dan's hand sliding across Phil's back lightly.

Their bleary gazes met and there was something unexpectedly sober in them.

“Dan,” Phil murmured, and it was only a small tilt of his head that was enough of an invitation. 

Dan felt his back hit the wall gently when Phil stepped in close, his mouth suddenly on Dan's, the breath hot and smelling of alcohol, his hands on Dan's cheeks, the thumbs gently stroking them. 

Phil was kissing him, and Dan was returning it keenly. 

His fingers found the front of Phil's shirt and curled into the threads tightly, as if afraid that Phil would pull and run away suddenly, like if this was a dream that Dan would suddenly wake up from.

But it didn't end. Not right away at least. 

Lips were warm and wet against his mouth, a little sloppy but nevertheless eager, and teeth caught his bottom lip briefly to tug at it before they finally pulled away slowly. Out of breath, they stood there, just gazing at each other.

It didn't take a word for Phil to invite and Dan to accept, as the two tall frames disappeared behind the closed door of the room P87.

===

When Dan awoke, the first thing he realised was the incredible warmth that was enveloping him. Then - the equally hot breath against his scalp. 

After that - the headache hit.

He groaned weakly, shifting a little until he felt the body besides him stir too, an equally disgruntled sound escaping the other man. 

“RSD8 treatment,” Phil muttered and Dan could hear the arrival of the pill container; the universal cure for hangovers that mercifully had been created to solve at least one of the issues of the universe. 

It was also the treatment for those who could afford it and Dan was afraid to know if he could anymore.

“Mm,” Phil hummed and the hold around Dan's torso tightened briefly. He felt the way his body was drawn back and against Phil's. Even through the thundering feeling in his skull, Dan found himself focused on the way Phil's chest would rise and fall, the way his limbs were heavy but in a comforting way like a blanket, the way though he smelled like alcohol, there was a hint of all the other little scents pushing through. “Can you pass me the bottle?” He murmured and his voice was raspy, but it was so soft that Dan wanted to fall into the sensation, and let the sleep take over once more. Instead, he begrudgingly opened his eyes.

The room was still dark, thankfully, only illuminated by the soft glow of light near the floor. He stared at it for a while, the way it reflected yet showed nothing. Finally he shifted his gaze to where the treatment lied in a small transparent blue bottle and reached for it, feeling how his limbs were sluggish, and feeling how moving made him pull further away from Phil momentarily.

“Thank you,” When he handed the bottle over, Phil murmured against the back of his neck. It sent a shiver throughout Dan's being despite the heat radiating so powerfully from the other man. Because suddenly it was gone. Though Phil was right there, the man had shifted enough to be able to swallow the pill and then remained on his back, so close yet too far for Dan.

So he moved, and he turned over and pressed his face into Phil's wrinkled shirt, his head still pulsing, but he didn't care for he felt at home at that moment, and it was a feeling that he had lost somewhere along the years. It made him want to hold on, and so he did, draping his arm around the other man, feeling the gentle brush of fingertips as they pushed a curly strand of hair away from his forehead until the sleep took over once more.

===

He was so cold.

It felt like the whole world had dropped in thirty degrees around him, and even the gentlest of rays of sun were cold and biting on his skin. He assumed it to be a side effect to having slept next to an actual sun, but it never left his mind that perhaps it was the hangover that had slowly gone away during the course of the day, and after the rather simple meal that he had ordered once he'd noticed the small number on his arm.

“Homo Sapiens of Adrailian origin, 176 lbs, 6'2, average fit,” The monotone voice of the android that was measuring him listed and thankfully only Dan was there to hear it. “Lowered body temperature, blood alcohol level - 0.03,” There was a pause and at that moment he was glad it was a machine that measured him; there was a silent judgement that he could read in those few seconds of complete silence though it was just the system updating. 

“Previous medical history?” The machine asked and Dan reached into his pocket before putting the ID under the scanner.

“No known extended diseases. High concentration of CO2 in breath. Fit for flight in the oxygenated compartment.” 

He felt how the lasers once more surveyed his body top to bottom; he hated that feeling so much. It wasn't just the transparency that bothered him. It felt invasive, how the light could touch him without there being anything Dan could do, and no matter the state of dress, he felt naked in front of it; there was nothing he could hide from it.

It was like not only his body was laid out for it to see, and he was sure that if given the authority, the android would soon begin listing his mental health and the contents of his mind and heart. 

His skin was prickling in that unpleasant manner that it always did when he left the medical wing.

===

“What time are you departing tomorrow?” Dan asked quietly, interrupting the silence that they had shared, sitting outside where the three suns were lighting up the sky brightly and warming them as the pages of the virtual books had been turned one by one. Dan could feel the way Phil shifted, their bodies up close to one another, huddled so closely as if it mattered most in their existence.

“I'm scheduled for second noon,” Finally Phil admitted and there was a kind of defeat in his tone that made Dan feel bad for asking about it in the first place. He could hear how the electronic replica of a book closed before it disappeared and he turned his own off, to look at the other man.

He had always shone brightly, even though Dan knew him only for a couple of days, but now there was a certain darkness layering his features. It made him look older, sadder and it made Dan want to reach out and caress the deep etched lines, smooth them out and replace them with the laughter ones again. 

They knew so little about one another, yet it felt like they had spent the eternity in the universe together.

“Leave me with something to remember,” Dan's lips formed the words quietly, and his hand found Phil's, long digits entwining far too familiarly, Dan's cold ones warmed by Phil's endlessly warm skin, and it was a feeling like no other that he had experienced in his years of being alive.

“In the fleeting universe, what could I ever give you?” Phil asked, but it was clear to both without a word. 

Phil was gentle, his touches ligth and warm as they drew their paths on Dan's skin in a way that he couldn't ever remember anyone doing before. His breath was as hot as the sunlight itself, as it peppered Dan's throat with sweet kisses, lips soft but needy against the collarbone before they made their way back up to the jaw. His fingers trailed like the softest of breezes, ticklish but welcome as they mapped Dan's arms, his sides, chest.

It felt like what the Yasmion's sugar bug nectar did to the darkest of teas gathered from the darkness forests of Theyetis. They made him feel sweet, they made the world taste like it had hope, it made him hear the music of the heartbeat in a way he was not familiar with otherwise. 

His mouth found Phil's, breathing the other man in until he felt lightheaded. His fingers kneaded into the pale skin, a contrast of heavily diluted chocolate and milk. He allowed the warmth radiate through him and it ignited his own sun that he'd always assumed to be an ice giant, cold and unfeeling, unwelcoming. 

Yet now he felt like he could bloom and explode into a million of stars to light up the darkest of planets if only a little bit.

His nose pressed against the side of Phil's neck, he breathed, slowly, and took him in with every inch of his being, for he knew.

They were never going to meet again.

===

//“The spaceship for Dromia N442 in NGC 3031 will depart in half an hour. Ensure that you and all of your belongings have been appropriately secured on the ship fifteen minutes before departure at latest.”// The voice that had always been so easy to zone out for Dan, was now booming in his ears with the announcement. His fingers were locked around Phil's, and he felt the way the other man was holding on just as tightly.

Practically strangers, Dan had to remind himself though he couldn't make himself truly believe it. They were two strangers that had met in a transit port, headed into different directions too far to even see in the night sky. It was a happening of a fleeting nature, like so many things that took place in the universe far too big to comprehend, even though he'd spent so long traveling the farthest nooks and crannies of it.

“I have to go, Dan,” Phil spoke, but it felt like in the quietness of the words there was something that was screaming mutely. Their grip tightened momentarily, and before Dan knew it Phil's fingers were slipping out of his grasp, and those wonderful blue eyes were staring at him in a serene but warm manner which made Dan thankful for his existence. 

“I wish you didn't,” Something deeper than his thoughts formed the words.

“I wish I didn't either.”

Dan leaned forward until his forehead was pressed against Phil's, their noses touching and tempting the kiss when breaths mixed in the small space between them. Yet in the whole of things, neither of them made that final step.

“Farewell, Phil of Dromia,” Dan murmured and closed his eyes.

“May life treat you kindly, Dan,” Phil trailed off and the question hanging in the air was clear, but no matter how hard he wanted to, the answer didn't form on Dan's lips, and his forehead was cold when Phil finally pulled away and reached for the single bag of belongings that he owned.

And like that, Dan was left watching the tall man leave, with his warmth of the sun and the cacophony of colours, with the milky skin and his onyx hair, and those alive blue eyes that always knew to soothe Dan, even if they had been there only for a tiny fraction of Dan's life.

The engine roared and so did his heart. He'd never committed, never tried to give leads of who he truly was, never cared if someone left and even found relief in that.

Yet, one look at his currencies and Dan drew up a screen. There was only one chance, and the ship was about to leave.

“Adrailia.” He spelled out on the screen and watched as the message loaded, sending, the anxiety building up the same way as the bright light at the tail of the space ship.

The message read 'Sent' just as the ship whizzed out of the existence.

Just like Phil did out of Dan's life.

===

It was the bright light of the Adrailia suns that greeted him when he stepped off the spaceship, fingers curling into the fabric of his worn-down backpack, holding onto it like his life depended on it. 

It carried the stories of how the man who had fit into the metallic existence of the planet had been moulded by the universe and the experiences along the way. 

It was a proof of his change, and a metaphor of how he felt; worn out but so much richer than he had ever felt though his currencies on his arm read zero. 

Because through the experience of it all, he'd found the truest treasure of them all.


End file.
